Friday, February 29, 2008

I know that Mother's Day seems like it is light years way, especially with all the snow on the ground. But, my mother and I have signed up to do the Y-ME Breast Cancer walk on that day. I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day!!

My Mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice. The first time she had a lumpectomy and went through radiation. 4 1/2 years later it came back. That time she opted to have both breasts removed and replaced with the fat from her stomach and she did chemo. Throughout this whole thing, she had a very positive attitude and often had to console us. She is the bravest person I have ever met and I want to do something to help others in the same situation.

This is our first walk for breast cancer, but I'm sure it won't be our last. Our goal is to do the 3 day.

Here is a letter that will give you information about the walk and links if you want to join us or donate.

Dear Friends and Family,

I have big plans for Mother's Day! I am happy to share the news with you that I have joined Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization in its effort to ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone. I will be participating in Y-ME's Race to Empower on Mother's Day and have set a goal of raising $_100.00__ along the way. Currently, 2 million Americans are living with breast cancer, and more than 180,000 will be diagnosed this year alone. Y-ME offers free programs and services to anyone touched by breast cancer and it is important that these programs continue to be available to those who need them.

Please support my participation in the Race to Empower by making a donation online. Your tax-deductible contribution will help fund the 24-hour Y-ME National Breast Cancer Hotline, the only hotline in the country staffed by trained peer counselors who are breast cancer survivors. It is a convenient, confidential resource for breast cancer and breast health information, as well as support for anyone touched by or concerned about this disease. Read more about how Y-ME uses fundraising dollars to ensure that no one faces breast cancer alone.

Y-ME has made it easy to support this great cause and to sponsor my efforts in the Race to Empower.

If you or someone you know needs breast cancer information or support, call the 24-hour Y-ME National Breast Cancer Hotline at 800-221-2141 (English) or 800-986-9505 (Spanish). Interpreters are available in 150 languages on the English Hotline.I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Of course, I would also welcome your company on Race Day! Please let me know if you'd like to join me, or click here to register online.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Last night I had to pick up Emerson from school, go across town and pick up Vivi from daycare, pick up something for dinner that they could eat in the car and drive everyone out to Sylvan which is about 15 miles away. All this without a net!!

When we got to Sylvan, Emerson went in and Vivi and I waited in the waiting room. I brought some crayons and paper for her but they didn’t hold her attention for the required 2 hours. We tried to read magazines, which lasted about 2 minutes. We went for a walk, but it was too cold and that lasted about 30 seconds. We sang songs, but every time I started one she told me not to sing.

At one point, Vivi sat on the floor with a closed magazine in front of her face. I asked her what she was doing and she told “NO Talka Me!” I called her name and she said “NO Looka Me!” I asked her if she was pooping and she told me “No, just bubbles.” (This is what she says for gas.) I wasn’t convinced.

Mercifully, the 2 hours ended and all I could think of was to get this small, smelly child home and changed. My goal was to get them in the bath, but Vivi fell asleep in the car. She’s not much of a sport when she’s awake, let alone when she sleeping, so that was out.

In a mere 20 minutes, with a ton of help from Emerson, we got a very angry, squirming Vivi cleaned up, in jammies, in my bed watching Oswald eating a cookie.

By this time I was ready to pass out and did so on the couch watching reruns of Home Improvement until Matt came home about 1am.

Monday, February 25, 2008

For the past week or so, my husband Matt has been acting quite strange and secretive about something.

Now, when I say "strange", what I mean is, he's been checking the mail everyday and looking rather disappointed after going through it all.

I keep asking him, "Are you okay?", and he would answer, "Yeah". But I just knew something was up! "Are you expecting something in the mail?" I would ask. "Yeah, I am.", he would answer. But now here's the thing... I would ask him, "What are you waiting for?", and his answer every time... "I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

Now, I'm not one for surprises. I HATE the suspense!!! What was this man hiding? What could it be???

Well, I got the answer to the BIG question on Friday night. We were going out to a bar that night to meet up with some friends and see a band, 7th Heaven, that was playing there. (The band was TOTALLY awesome, by the way). Matt was REALLY hoping to get what he was expecting in the mail by the time we went, but unfortunately, it hadn't arrived yet. But he still wanted to make the announcement to everyone.

It turns out that every night after I went to bed, (I get up about an hour before everyone else in the house, so I go to bed a bit earlier that Matt), he was taking on-line courses without anyone knowing about it.

What he had been waiting for was his certificate telling the whole world that he was an official LEGAL Ordained Minster!!! He had spent the last few months studying and taking tests on-line!

So, it turns out, we now have a legally Ordained Minister in the house! He's legal in ALL 50 States. He can perform weddings, funerals, baptisms. He can even council Oh, and he has an official title as well... "Reverend"! He even gets to wear the black shirt with the white collar if he wants! He even gets one of those signs that say "OFFICIAL CLERGY BUSINESS" for the car.(Not that I can think of any reason to use it)As you can imagine, everyone was VERY excited to hear the news! We even did a few toasts that night to our very own "Rev. Matt".

Matt has always been a very spiritual person, he spent 9 years in Catholic school and then when he got older, he moved away from Catholicism. He is very knowledgeable about the bible and takes his spirituality very serious. He would never take this lightly and has spent a long time researching this and months taking all the tests.

That being said, I must admit, I've never been a very religious person, but it's nice to know that if I ever do something that needs forgiveness, I don't need to leave the house.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

It’s OSCAR TIME!!!!! And as usual, I have only seen 1 movie that is up for Best Picture and that was Juno. I did, however, see 2 of the movies that are up for Best Animated Feature Film. Ratatouille and Surf’s Up.

Here’s one of the problem, we go to the drive-in every weekend in the summer but they don’t release the movies that may be considered for an Oscar until award season starts and that’s November and the drive-in is closed because no one wants to sit in their car freezing to death.

Another problem is that I really don’t find the movies that the “Academy” loves to be entertaining. Every year, there is at least 1 movie that I would like gets nominated and I root for that one and it never wins. Last year it was Little Miss Sunshine, and this year it’s Juno. I also really enjoyed Sweeney Todd; the Demon of Fleet Street. But that’s no surprise!!! Johnny Depp could sit on the screen doing nothing, saying nothing for 2 hours and I would go and see it and think it’s the most brilliant movie. (But he DOES sing in Sweeney Todd)

One year, after the Awards, I went and rented Crash. HATED IT!!!! It was the most depressing movie!!! I go to the movies to be entertained. Crash was not entertaining, Important, but not entertaining. I will watch just about any movie except any movie with mass destruction, if I know the ending, or if Tom Cruise is in it. Some examples of movies I have not and will not see are:

Independence Day or any disaster movie for that matter - I can’t stand movies where whole cities are destroyed. I become very co-dependant and my imagination starts running away with me. I start obsessing about people they haven’t even shown on the screen. I want to know where all the dogs and the old people and the babies are and if they are ok. It really just scares me to death!!!!!

Titanic – I am not sitting there for 3+ hours wondering when is the boat going to sink and who’s going to live. My nerves can’t handle it.

War of the Worlds – This one has a double whammy; it’s a disaster movie with Tom Cruise!!! I really don’t like him. I believe the only movie that I have seen of his is Risky Business. I’m not one of those people who jumped on the band wagon when he went a little nutty, I have never liked him and I won’t see his movies. Not even when all the girls in high school were raving about Top Gun. I never saw it. I also don’t like Daniel Day Louis and I’m pretty sure I won’t like him any better after Sunday when he snakes that Best Actor award away from Johnny Depp.

Never the Less, the girls and I are having our own Oscar Party on Sunday with appetizers and sparkling cider. We are also going to dress up and walk the red carpet. It should be fun and I’ll post pictures.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Here is just a small example of conversations that I overhear between my daughters.

Emerson is RedVivi is blueParents are black"Vivi, today I am going to teach you opposites. So, the opposite of stop is go and the opposite of fast is slow.""What's the opposite of in?""Um.....Seven!""No, It's out." "What's the opposite of up?""Um....Sandwich!""No, it's down." "What's the opposite of lost?""Um...Call your mommy!""NO Vivienne, it's found!""Emmy, you bird-face!"-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here's one between Vivi and Daddy after a particularly silly day."Vivi, you're a coconut!"

"You call me a coconut??!!!"

"Yep, I called you a coconut."

"YOU CALL ME A COCONUT??!?!?!?"

"Yes, I did."

"I not a coconut! I Vivi (last name)!!!"_______________________________________________________________________

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Last October we were at Emerson's sock-hop for school and they made the parents get up to teach the kids the Electric Slide. While Matt and I were attempting this, some boys were racing back and forth. I tried to get out of their way and I rolled over my ankle. It was pretty sore for about a week and then it went away for a little while and then it would swell and then go away etc. Well, after I bowled 6 games on Saturday, it swelled pretty good and then it didn't go away. My friend Karen is an RN so she told me I had to go to the doctor because this was going on 5 months and something might really be wrong. I called my doctor on Monday and they made me go to the hospital to get an x-ray. On Tuesday the nurse called me and told me it wasn't broken. I knew this because even though it was pretty sore, I could still walk. She suggested that I go to the Orthopaedic doctor. I went yesterday and they said it was fine, that I did some damage in October but it was healing on it's own and I aggravated it with the bowling. They gave me some anti-inflamatories, put a sock on my foot and sent me on my way. At least I don't need surgery, that was my biggest fear.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

This past weekend was our weekend for the Illinois State Bowling Tournament in Decatur, IL. At 7:30 am Saturday morning Denise, Karen, Kristin and I piled into Kristin’s car and took the trek down there. We arrive at the bowling alley at 10:30am and immediately went to the bar. After all, it was 5:00 somewhere. There are roughly 30 ladies that go each year and we all bowl together and then get a block of rooms at the hotel. We bowled doubles and singles on Saturday, which means 6 games and teams on Sunday, which means 3 games. There are 4 girls on our team and we each went out and bought Big Lebowski t-shirts for the day we bowl teams.

Now, if you haven’t seen The Big Lebowski, I highly recommend it. It’s a great bowling movie. We were all set on what we were going to wear on Sunday but Denise and I weren’t sure what we were going to wear for Doubles on Saturday. It turns out that we both have shirts that say, “Grab your Balls, We’re Going Bowling!” Now, sometimes these officials at the tournaments can be sticklers about the rules and one of the main rules is about “inappropriate dress”, so I was a little nervous. But, we went for it anyway and no one said a thing! When everyone was done on Saturday, we spent a little time in the bar dancing and catching up.

I don’t get to see most of these women except at the tournament, so we had a lot to talk and laugh about. The really great thing is that for the first year, my mom went with us!!

She’s been bowling on the same league for over 30 years and she has never gone to the State Tournament. She had such a great time; she’s talking about next year already. After the bar, we went to the hotel to check in and then out to dinner. Unfortunately, the restaurants were packed and we ended up at Applebee’s because their wait was the shortest at 30 min. We should have just waited at another place. The food was horrible and some of it was ice-cold. When we left there we decided to warm up in the hot tub at the hotel, that didn’t last long. There was a birthday party going on and there were about 12 young kids in the pool scream and carrying on. After that we decided to go up to the room and get a pay-per-view movie. That didn’t work either because there was something wrong with the box. Whatever, we probably wouldn’t have stayed awake for it anyway. The next morning we went and bowled our 3 games, posed for a picture and then we were on our way home.

We got home to the frozen tundra about 8:30. But even with all the things going wrong, we still had a really great time.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

When I picked up Vivi on Saturday she informed me “Vivi sick!” I felt her head and she was warm so I gave her Tylenol.

This was Vivi before the Tylenol…

And this is Vivi after the Tylenol.

The same thing happened on Sunday and she did very well all day. We had to go to Sylvan so Emerson could take a test. The rest of the family camped out at Caribou Coffee and waited for her, and then we went grocery shopping.

By Monday morning she was still getting fevers and she was complaining about her ear, so we took her and Curious George to the doctor. We had to take George with us because Vivi said she didn’t need to see the doctor because she was feeling better but George was sick and she would hold his hand at the doctor’s office. They both made it through like CHAMPS!! Vivi weighs 26lbs. George weighs 1.75 lbs. Everyone’s ears were clear but it looks like Vivi has a throat infection. They did a strep test and we’ll get those results tomorrow. Meanwhile, she gets to spend the week at Grandma’s house because I can’t take her to daycare.